Man gets 4 years for FAMU tax fraud scheme

A South Florida man has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for stealing the identifies of several recent Florida A&M University graduates to obtain fraudulent income tax refunds.

U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle on Thursday also ordered 21-year-old Marvens Jean-Paul to pay more than $280,000 in restitution.

Jean-Paul pleaded guilty to stealing personal identifying information from an office on the Tallahassee campus and related charges.

Prosecutors said at his direction two co-defendants cashed refund checks at a North Miami bank, where they were tellers. Jean-Paul also arranged for other fraudulent refunds to be loaded into prepaid debit cards.

Kimle Fils-Aime and Geurline St. Charles pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges last year. Fils-Aime was sentenced to a year in prison. St. Charles received five years on probation.

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